Please find below a programme of activities involving Prof Muhammad Yunus which will culminate in his presentation of the Seventh Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture.
Prof Yunus is a Nobel Peace Prize winner who founded Grameen Bank. He is an activist for human and women’s rights, a founding member of the Global Elders, an economist, a prolific writer and a champion of the poor.
Event Name: Media briefing by Prof Yunus
Date: Wednesday July 8, 2009
Time: 12pm for 12:30pm
Venue: Nelson Mandela Foundation, 107 Central Street, Houghton
Objective: Prof Yunus will announce his contribution to Mandela Day
Event Name: In Conversation with Prof Muhammad Yunus, in collaboration with WDB Group (Women’s Development Businesses), SEF (Small Enterprise Foundation) and AMFISA (Association of Micro Finance Institutions of South Africa)
Date: Thursday July 9, 2009
Time: 10am to 4pm
Venue: Turbine Hall, 65 Ntemi Piliso Street, Newtown, Johannesburg
Objective: This is an all-day dialogue session with thought leaders, South Africa’s foremost social entrepreneurship patrons and practitioners, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, civil society, government, and members of the South African media. Other partners such as the WDB, African Development Bank (ADB), Banking Council, Independent Development Trust (IDT), SEF, AMFISA, other microfinance institutions and the broader community of social entrepreneurs will participate in this session.
The primary focus of the day is to stimulate robust dialogue and conversation about microcredit, microfinance or social business as a tool to address poverty, based on the Grameen Bank model.
Event Name: Shaping Young Minds
Date: Friday July 10, 2009
Time: 9am to 12pm
Venue: CIDA City Campus, 54 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg
Objective: Prof Yunus will present to the youth and university students the success story of the Grameen Bank model. They will, in turn, share with Prof Yunus their own initiatives in working towards alleviating poverty in their communities. This inter-generational gathering will consist of South Africa’s leading young minds and social entrepreneurs at all levels.
Event Name: Seventh Annual Lecture
Date: Saturday July 11, 2009
Time: 2:30pm for 3pm
Venue: Johannesburg City Hall
Theme: Prof Yunus presents the Seventh Annual Lecture, titled “Investment in the marginalised as a way of creating wealth and combating poverty”.
The launch of the Nelson Mandela Social Cohesion Award will be announced at this event.
NOTE: All the events above are by invitation only, save for the media, who will need to RSVP and be accredited. A public invitation to attend the Annual Lecture will be in local newspapers and appear on the website.
All media interested in attending any of these functions and applying for accreditation to the Annual Lecture, please RSVP by end of business on Friday June 20, 2009 to nmf@nelsonmandela.org.